1w ago

Anyone ever use Aruba network switches?

I need to replace a bunch of ancient Cisco stuff. Also looking at other brands like Dell, Juniper and Extreme

29 comments

Only used Unifi and their stuff is pretty solid. Better than Meraki where you never truly own your hardware.
- What do you mean? I have a Unifi 24 poe switch at home and I feel like Ubiquiti could do whatever they wanted with it. If I had more time I would have chosen some device with OPNSense.
  
  UniFi doesn't need a license, you just buy the switch and install the network app. Meraki will totally turn off your network if you ever stop paying for a license.
  You're just renting their hardware until you stop paying for the license, then it's an expensive paperweight.
  
  If you stop paying for the Meraki cloud, you can’t manage your Meraki hardware.
  Full stop.
  Meraki: That’s a nice network you got there; I’d be a shame if something happened to it
  
  I don't believe you can use OPNSense on a switch. Switches are in layer 2 typically and have hardware that switches.
  Technically you can run OpenWRT on some switches but it is still experimental and it is very much not enterprise grade
  
  OK, so it's OPNsense for routers and OpenWRT for switches and APs?
  
  Separate thread; how can Ubiquiti “do whatever they want with it”? You control the updates.
  
  Well, the OS is their doing. If it has a backdoor, I don't know. I don't fully trust it.
  
  That’s true of any closed source OS, of which I’m sure you run at least 2.
  
  I use GrapheneOS, Bazzite & Aurora. I have a Chromecast though, I'm still deciding how to replace it.
  
  Do you have a car? Docking station? Printer? Scanner? IoT device?
  And let’s not talk about what your Intel process has built into it that you don’t know about that leaks data.
  That’s a closed source OS.
- No CLI which is a deal breaker for me
  
  They have one but the management is via the admin console.
  
  No SSH?
  
  They have SSH.

29 comments